Door latch safety interlock



NOV. 3, SANDQR DOOR LATCH SAFETY INTERLOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1965 INVENTOR. Ee/cr Jazzaar AT RIVEV Nov. 3, 1964 B. SANDOR DOOR LATCH SAFETY INTERLOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 11, 1963 INVENTOR. Be/a SCI/lobe" ATTOQR EV United States Patent O 3,155,411 DOOR LATCH SAFETY INTERLOCK Bela Sandor, Detroit, Mich assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed July 11, 1963, Ser. No. 294,380 4 Claims. (Cl. 292280) This invention relates to vehicle body door latches and more particularly to vehicle body door latch safety interlock means.

One feature of this invention is that it provides vehicle body door latch safety interlock means preventing separation of the door from the body in directions longitudinal of the body. Another feature of this invention is that the safety interlock means includes a striker member engageable with a latch bolt and located to overlie latch bolt ratchet means so as to be engageable therewith to prevent longitudinal separation of the door and the body. A further feature of this invention is that the striker member is received within the latch frame to engage the bolt and to overlie the ratchet means and a wall of the latch frame so as to be successively engageable therewith to prevent longitudinal separation of the door and the-body.

These and other features of the invention will be readily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a vehicle body embodying door latch safety interlock means according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 3--3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 4-4 of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the plane indicated by line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, a vehicle body includes a door 12 hingedly mounted adjacent its forward edge 14 for movement between a closed position as shown, and an open position, not shown. A door latch 16 is mounted on door 12 adjacent its rearward edge 18 to hold the door in closed position.

As best shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, door latch 16 includes a frame member 20 bolted to the jamb wall 22 of door 12 and a back plate 24 spaced from member 20 and defining a latch frame or housing therewith. A rotary gear bolt 26 is rotatably mounted Within the latch frame at 28 for engagement with a striker assembly 30, as will be described, which is fixedly secured to a jamb wall of the body center pillar 32, FIGURE 3. The detent means for bolt 26 includes a ratchet 34, which may be integral with bolt 26 or nonrotatably secured thereto, and a detent or detent member 36 pivotally mounted on plate 24 at 38 and biased into engagement with the ratchet by a torsion spring 40.

Outside operating means for releasing bolt 26 includes a stationary outside handle 42 provided with a slidable push button and rod assembly 44 engageable with a lateral tab of an operating lever 46 pivotally mounted on plate 24 at 48 and biased clockwise by a torsion spring 50. An intermittent lever 52 is swingably mounted on lever 46 at 54 and includes a lateral tab on the lower end thereof engageable with a lateral tab of detent 36 upon counterclockwise rotation of lever 46 so as to release the detent from ratchet 34 and allow opening movement of door 12.

Inside operating means for releasing bolt 26 includes a remote operating lever 56 engaging detent 36 and swingable to release the detent from ratchet 34 upon actuation "ice of a conventional inside remote operating assembly, indicated generally at 57, connected to the lever 56.

Outside locking means for preventing release of bolt 26 by assembly 44 includes a conventional lock cylinder 58 operatively connected to one end of a locking lever 60 pivotally mounted on plate 24 at 62 and provided with a laterally extending ear 64 located in a slot in intermittent lever 52. Counterclockwise rotation of lever 60 by the lock cylinder 58 uncouples or movesthe lower lateral tab of intermittent lever 52 out of the path of engagement thereof with the lateral tab of detent 36 to prevent release of the detent by the assembly 44. A conventional garnish molding button and rod assembly 66 is connected to the other end of lever 60 to uncouple intermittent lever 52 from detent 36 from inside the vehicle body.

As seen best in FIGURES 3 and 4, striker assembly 30 includes a toothed plate or flange portion 68 received intermediate frame member 20 and plate 24 and meshingly engageable with bolt 26. The plate 68 may be fixedly secured to or formed integral with the main striker body portion 69, and bolts 70 secure the plate and body portion to a wall of pillar 32 and to an inner mounting plate 71. A recess 72 in the body portion 69 has mounted therein a shoe or spring-biased wedge block 73 engageable with a lateral flange 74 in the lower portion of frame member 20. Flange 74 defines the lower edge of an opening 76 in the frame member for receiving the striker assembly in the closed position of door 12. A contiguous opening 78 in the door jamb wall 22 extends inwardly therealong from the area of the latch frame and terminates in the door inner panel in a shape complementary to the outline of striker assembly 30 so that the door freely receives the striker assembly during movement of the door toward closed position, FIGURE 3.

As shown best in FIGURE 4, when door 12 is in closed position, the upper portion of plate 68 overlies ratchet 34 and the lower portion thereof overlies the edge of flange 74 so as to be engageable therewith to prevent separation of door 12 and pillar 32 in directions longitudinal of the body. In the event of extreme collision forces or otherwise, plate 68 is successively engageable with the ratchet and with the upper portion of frame member 20 above opening 76, should the ratchet be fractured or otherwise rendered incapable of acting in the upper interlock area above the opening to aid the lower flange 74 in preventing longitudinal separation of the door and pillar 32.

Thus new and improved door latch safety interlock means are provided.

I claim:

1. In a vehicle body door latch for'latching a door member to a body member, the combination comprising, a latch frame mounted on one of said members, a latch bolt movably mounted in said frame, detent means mounted on said frame for releasably holding said bolt against movement, and striker means mounted on the other of said members and being received within said frame in engagement with said bolt, said striker means being located in overlying relationship with said detent means and a wall of said frame to provide a safety interlock.

2. In a vehicle body door latch for latching a door member, to a body member, the combination comprising, a latch frame mounted on one of said members and including a wall provided with an opening for receiving a strikeritherein, a latch bolt movably mounted in said frame and including a flange located adjacent said wall, a striker mounted on the other of said members and including an interlock flange, said striker being received within said frame through said opening to engage said bolt, said striker flange being received within said frame on the other side of said bolt flange from said wall to overlie said bolt flange and said frame wall to provide a safety interlock.

3. In a vehicle body door latch for latching a door member to a body member, safety interlock means comprising, a latch frame mounted on one of said members and including a pair of spaced parallel walls, one of said walls being provided with an opening defining upper and lower portions of said one wall, a latch bolt movably mounted on said latch frame intermediate said walls thereof, a ratchet mounted in said frame intermediate said bolt and one of said walls, and a striker mounted on the other of said members and including an interlock flange, said striker flange being received within said frame intermediate said walls thereof to engage said bolt, said striker flange being received in said frame intermediate the other Wall thereof and said ratchet to overlie said ratchet and said upper and lower portions of said one wall to provide a safety interlock.

4. In a vehicle body door latch for latching a door member to a body member, the combination comprising, a latch frame mounted on one of said members and in eluding a wall provided with an opening for receiving a striker, said opening defining upper and lower portions of said wall, a latch bolt movably mounted within said frame, a ratchet member mounted within said frame intermediate said bolt and said frame wall, a striker mounted on the other of said members and including upper and lower interlock flanges, said striker being received within said frame through said opening to engage said bolt, said upper interlock flange being received Within said frame and overlying said ratchet member and said upper wall portion and said lower interlock flange being received within said frame and overlying said lower wall portion to provide a safety interlock, and cooperating dovetail means on said striker and said lower wall portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,758,864 Dixon Aug. 14, 1956 3,047,324 Fredericks July 31, 1962 3,123,390 Sandor et al Mar. 3, 1964 

2. IN A VEHICLE BODY DOOR LATCH FOR LATCHING A DOOR MEMBER TO A BODY MEMBER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A LATCH FRAME MOUNTED ON ONE OF SAID MEMBERS AND INCLUDING A WALL PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING FOR RECEIVING A STRIKER THEREIN, A LATCH BOLT MOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID FRAME AND INCLUDING A FLANGE LOCATED ADJACENT SAID WALL, A STRIKER MOUNTED ON THE OTHER OF SAID MEMBERS AND INCLUDING AN INTERLOCK FLANGE, SAID STRIKER BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID FRAME THROUGH SAID OPENING TO ENGAGE SAID BOLT, SAID STRIKER FLANGE BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID FRAME ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID BOLT FLANGE FROM SAID WALL TO OVERLIE SAID BOLT FLANGE AND SAID FRAME WALL TO PROVIDE A SAFETY INTERLOCK. 